Massive, green tech park envisioned in Post Falls

Shopping center also mulled

A massive technology park is planned at the northwest corner of Prairie Avenue and state Route 41, in northeast Post Falls, with a total construction cost for dozens of envisioned commercial buildings estimated at $460 million, plus an additional $40 million in public infrastructure.

The 285-acre, environmentally friendly complex, tentatively named Inland Northwest Technology Park, is envisioned to have commercial buildings ranging from 3,000 square feet to 750,000 square feet and a total of 2.6 million square feet, according to a feasibility study conducted by Coeur d’Alene-based urban planning company The Metts Group LLC and the Coeur d’Alene office of J-U-B Engineering Inc. for the Post Falls Urban Renewal Agency.

The analysis shows such a development could generate more than 10,000 jobs, depending on market conditions.

Although the full development is expected to take 20 years, Post Falls city administrator Shelley Enderud says the developers, Beyond Green Inc., have identified a few potential projects, and, “They would like to see someone get shovels in the ground this year.”

Enderud says Beyond Green has hired a site selector and is targeting advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and data storage companies as tenants.

“There are some we’re talking to, but we’re not able to disclose them,” she says.

She says the developers are hopeful that infrastructure work will begin this year, with work on the first buildings hoped for 2020.

No contractors have been named yet for the development.

The project area is within the 831-acre Post Falls Technology Park Urban Renewal District, which straddles state Route 41 north of Prairie Avenue. The district includes 750 acres of undeveloped land, most of which the city of Post Falls annexed last year.

Beyond Green also plans to develop a shopping center on 50 acres of land within the district at the northeast corner of state Route 41 and Prairie Avenue, although that development is timed after highway improvements planned by the Idaho Department of Transportation are scheduled to be completed next year, Enderud says.

The shopping center is envisioned to have 470,000 square feet of grocery, home supply, entertainment, restaurants, and other supporting services to be developed over 10 years.

In urban renewal districts within Idaho, developers can be reimbursed for their contributions toward public infrastructure projects via increases in property tax revenue attributed to overall development. The reimbursement rate also is tied to the number of jobs created by the development.